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| length = 3:46
| BPM = 104
| versions =Down In It <br>Down In It (Demo)<br>Down In It (Skin)<br>Down In It (Shred)<br>Down In It (Singe)<br>Down In It (''[[Closure]]'')<br>Down In It (''[[Purest Feeling (halo)|Purest Feeling]]'')<br>Down In It (''Demos & Remixes'' Version)<br>Down In It (Big Whole Mix)| live = [[VIVIsectVI Tour]] through [[Wave Goodbye Tour]]<br>[[NIN 2022]]}}'''"Down In It"''' was the first single for the 1989 album ''[[Pretty Hate Machine]]'' and the third track on the disc. It has been stated by [[Trent Reznor]] that this song is the first he ever wrote and is a rare treat to hear live. Following the "''[[Down In It (halo)|Down In It]]" '' single release, a music video was made.
"[[Kinda I Want To]]" specifically uses this song's beat and drum patch in its bridge, while "[[That's What I Get]]" and "[[The Only Time]]" both use its recognizable melodic synth voice.
Reznor has openly admitted that this song "was a total rip-off of 'Dig It' by [[Skinny Puppy]]."
<blockquote>That was the first song I'd ever written and when I sat down I took a very experimental approach to it, and the original version was about half-speed of the one on the record, and it was a total rip-off of 'Dig It' by Skinny Puppy.[https://www.theninhotline.com/archives/articles/display/580]</blockquote>
===Song Credits===
*Production: Trent Reznor, [[Adrian Sherwood]], [[Keith LeBlanc]]*Engineering: Trent Reznor, Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc, [[Kennan Keating]]
*Mix: Adrian Sherwood
==Versions==
===Down In It===
This version originally appeared on the ''Down In It'' single as the "Skin" mix, and would become the version that appears on ''Pretty Hate Machine.'' In chronological order, this is the first [[Nine Inch Nails ]] song ever released to the general public. A different version was originally intended for the album, but the "Skin" mix was chosen instead.[http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/getdowninit.shtml] Since the ''Down In It'' single had been released ahead of the album and this substitution had not yet been made, it was not referred to as the original or album version on the single. Producer Keith LeBlanc mentioned in a printed interview[https://imgur.com/gallery/bgq1z] that "Down In It" was the song he got to "really put my signature on". His revisions (the "Shred", "Singe", and "Skin" mixes) draw heavily from the tracks "Mechanical Movements" and "Einstein" from his album ''Stranger Than Fiction'', released earlier the same year (1989). The fast-paced synth prominent at the beginning of "Skin" is from "Mechanical Movements", and the main drum pattern is from "Einstein". Additionally, the crowd chant [[samples]] during each chorus have appeared in other tracks associated with Keith's band Tackhead, such as "Reality" by Gary Clail & Tackhead and "Stadium Rock" by The Barmy Army.
====Song Credits====
===Down In It (Demo)===
'''''Running Time: 3:5255''''' Appears on ''Head Like a Hole'' (US) as the last track. Also appears on the ''Demos and Remixes'' and ''Purest Feeling II'' bootlegs. On the UK ''Down In It'' single, the [[Untitled (from Head Like A Hole)|unlisted track]] from ''Head Like A Hole'' is appended to this track.
====Song Credits====
'''''Running Time: 3:46'''''
The version that appears on ''Pretty Hate Machine'' is in fact the "Skin" remix, but it is not listed as such on the album. It also appears on ''Demos and Remixes'' with an unadulterated version of the "[[Terrible Lie]]" intro tacked onto the end, which fades out.
===Down In It (Shred)===
===Down In It (Singe)===
'''''Running Time: 7:04 and 7:21'''''
A mix that appears on both the ''Down In It'' and ''Head Like a Hole'' singles. It's a mostly instrumental "dub" mix of the song with minimal vocals and strange warping and mixing of the beats with heavy bass emphasis. It should be noted that this mix is actually 18 seconds longer on the ''Head Like A Hole'' (US) single than it was on the ''Down In It'' single. The reason for this is unknown, though it's probably due to the time constraints imposed on vinyl singles compared to a full sized LP Maxi Single.
===Down In It (''Purest Feeling'')===
Appears on ''Purest Feeling'' as the last track, differing from its official counterparts as that it has an extended intro with strange screams and odd static. It also includes about 1 one minute and 8 eight seconds of distorted clippings of the song at the end as a finish to the album. Musically it's extremely close to the "(Demo)" version from the ''Head Like a Hole'' US single.
===Down In It (''Demos & Remixes'' Version)===
==Music Video==
[[Image:Downinitstill.jpg|thumb|Screenshot from the "Down In It" video]]
"Down In It" was the first Nine Inch Nails [[Nine Inch Nails music videos|music video]]. It was directed by [[Eric Zimmerman]] and [[Benjamin Stokes]], who also directed "[[Head Like A Hole (song)|Head Like A Hole]]." The video depicts Reznor running through downtown Chicago and climbing to the roof of a building, where he slips and falls to his death. Bandmates [[Richard Patrick]] and [[Chris Vrenna]] discover the body days later. An extended version of the video also exists, which is set to the "Shred" mix.
This was the first video to be met with controversy. To film the shots of lifeless Reznor, he was covered with cornstarch to create the illusion of decay and cameras were tied to heavy-duty balloons that were tied down. During the filming of these scenes, one of the balloons broke free and took the camera with it, drifting some 200 miles before being found by a farmer in Michigan. The camera was turned over to local police who, upon seeing the raw video footage, assumed it was a snuff film and the FBI was called in to investigate. The incident was even reported on ''Hard Copy'' and recalled in an interview for ''SPIN'' magazine. Because MTV and its US affiliates were uncomfortable with the video's subject matter, all scenes that depict Reznor's body lying on the ground behind the building were deleted.
==External Links==
*[httphttps://vimeo.com/3608189 17071944 "Down In It" music video (Director's CutRemastered)]*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKGFt3HAJCQ lVgBeNLGJuY "Down In It" (Shred) music video]*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkphW38WyYo "Down In It" live in Europe 2000]
*[http://vimeo.com/17037838 ''Hard Copy'' segment about the FBI investigation]
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